Texas Hill Country flooding kills at least two and prompts hundreds of rescues

Texas Hill Country flooding kills at least two and prompts hundreds of rescues

Catastrophic flash flooding in the Texas Hill Country has left at least two people dead and forced hundreds of residents from their homes, occurring nearly a year after a historic flood event in the same region. Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed the fatalities on Thursday, identifying the victims as a 65-year-old man whose RV was swept away in Comfort, and a 74-year-old man whose vehicle was swept off U.S. Highway 83 near Uvalde.

The Uvalde Police Department noted that the man who died in Uvalde was with family from out of state and had ignored warnings not to proceed up the roadway.

Rescue operations are currently underway for people stranded in homes and larger facilities. Gov. Abbott stated that more than 2,300 emergency personnel are responding, with more than 230 rescues completed. Travis County Judge Andy Brown reported that many victims were trapped on rooftops and in trees, including one report of 10 people stranded on a barn roof.

Rapid River Rises and Record Rainfall

The National Weather Service issued multiple flash flood emergencies on Thursday for areas including Hunt, Uvalde, Knippa, and Kerrville. In one instance, the Guadalupe River at Hunt rose from 9 to 19 feet between 3 a.m. And 4 a.m. CT, eventually measuring 37 feet just before 6 a.m.

Other river levels showed extreme volatility:

• The Guadalupe River near Kerrville rose 32 feet in four hours.
• The Pedernales River gauge at Fredericksburg rose to more than 31 feet.
• The Cibolo Creek rose 10 feet in 90 minutes, reaching a record-high of over 22 feet.
• The Nueces River near Uvalde set a new record, rushing at twice the flow of Niagara Falls, according to Gov. Abbott.

Rainfall totals have been extraordinary. Preliminary data shows Uvalde received more than 21 inches of rain from Monday to Thursday, while Kerrville received more than 19 inches. Some parts of the Hill Country saw more than 28 inches of rain over three days. In the Uvalde area, 8 inches of rain fell in just two hours.

A Region Under Siege

The Texas Hill Country is known as Flash Flood Alley due to steep terrain and clay soil that does not absorb water easily, according to the Texas Water Resources Institute. This vulnerability was highlighted last year when July 4, 2025, floods killed more than 130 people, including 25 campers at Camp Mystic.

The memories of that disaster remained fresh as residents faced this new crisis. Josiah Rodriguez of Kerrville noted that while the rain felt similar, a lot more alerts have been put in place, a lot more safety measures compared to the previous year.

Gov. Abbott confirmed that warning sirens, many installed after the 2025 tragedy, functioned properly, though one siren was delayed by five to 10 minutes early Thursday. He also stated that no camps along the river had sustained damage as of Thursday afternoon.

The devastation extended beyond residential areas. At the Buck Wild Animal Rescue and Wildlife Rehab near Ingram, Katie Buck evacuated dozens of animals in the dark as the normally dry Lazy Creek overflowed, destroying several enclosures.

State Response and Infrastructure

Gov. Abbott has issued disaster declarations for 59 counties. The Texas Game Wardens were deployed across several counties, including Comal, Kimble, Real, Bandera, Medina, Kerr, and Uvalde. Texas Department of Emergency Management W. Nim Kidd reported that the community of Uvalde was completely cut off from road access on all sides.

Infrastructure concerns peaked at the bridge over the Guadalupe River on Highway 87 into Comfort. Kendall County Judge Shane Stolarczyk informed ABC News that engineers assessed the bridge due to the force of the water; they concluded the structure is currently sound.

Judge Stolarczyk noted that this year's event saw significantly more water than the 2025 flood, citing a flow of about 200,000 cubic feet per second through the Guadalupe on Thursday morning.

Looking ahead, the National Weather Service forecast dry conditions for the Kerrville area starting Friday, as the heaviest rain moves north. Gov. Abbott announced plans to travel to the affected areas over the next 24 hours.